Marc Warren shares fourth at Dunhill Links Championship

Glasgow golfer Marc Warren has set his sights on an Italian job after continuing his late season surge in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

While Tyrrell Hatton became the first player to successful defend the title with a three shot win over the charging Ross Fisher, Warren took route 66 up into a share of fourth with a 14-under aggregate.

Just three weeks ago, the three-time European Tour winner had been battling to safeguard his place on the circuit but he has stormed up to 56th on the money list with a runners-up finish in the Portugal Masters, a 15th in the British Masters and now a top-five

Warren, whose wife was expecting their second child this morning, heads to Milan this week for the lucrative Italian Open which boasts a huge prize fund of $7 million as part of the Tour’s big money Rolex Series.

And the former Walker Cup star is keen to keep his profitable push going as he builds for a big end to the season.

Warren, whose form suffered in the middle of the campaign due to a serious shoulder injury, said: “This is another huge week and there’s plenty to play for.

“This is a great time of the year to be hitting form there is still so much to gained from the season with big events coming up.

“It’s been a really good three weeks for me. Given the way things were going, I would have been happy to just get into the top 100 on the order of merit but now I’m delighted to be sitting where I am.

“It’s a nice feeling to be looking up the way and not looking over my shoulder and worrying about trying to keep my tour card.

“The Dunhill has been a very good event for me in recent years. I love playing these courses. After that injury, the rust is off now. This was my eighth event in a row and I’m playing myself into form at the right time.”

Warren’s fellow Scot, Stephen Gallacher, closed with a 67 and shared 12th place on a 12-under tally.

And it was another impressive week for Fife rookie Connor Syme, who followed up a 12th place finish on his pro debut in the Portugal Masters a fortnight ago with a share of 15th yesterday.

Hatton, who led by five overnight, closed with a 66 for a 24-under total but his compatriot Fisher tried his best to catch him with a rousing 11-under 61 which set a new record low over the Old Course. Fisher actually had a raking putt for an eagle on the last for an historic 59 but after that rolled up three-feet short, he missed the subsequent birdie putt and had to settle for a par.

Behind him, Hatton was coasting home as he completed back-to-back triumphs.

“This was always going to be harder than winning last year because I’d never defended a title before,” said Hatton who earned a whopping cheque for £594,500. “I didn’t see a leaderboard until the 16th and I saw Ross had got to 21-under. That was incredible golf and it certainly made my 15 minute wait on the 17th a bit harder. I got over the line, though.”

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